1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a printing machine which can reduce a time period required to complete printing.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a printing machine has widely spread which is connected to a computer through a network, receives image data generated by the computer through the network, and performs printing based on the received data.
As a device for appropriately controlling a printing process of such printing machine, Japanese Patent No. 3989208 proposes a print control device which terminates a control operation either upon completion of all procedures in a printing process or upon detection of an error while the printing process is in progress.
Meanwhile, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 08-63306 discloses a printing machine configured as follows. The printing machine calculates reception time required for receiving print data of multiple pages to be received in a current session, on the bases of average reception time of print data of one page. In addition, the printing machine calculates the minimum print time required to print the multiple pages to be received in the current session on the basis of the minimum print time of one page. When the print data corresponding to the number of pages that can be received in a time by which the printing data take longer to receive than to print is stored, the printing machine starts printing the stored print data.